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At Pakistan Day celebration in New Delhi, hopes for improved ties with India

Pakistan on Thursday expressed hope that its ties with India will improve in the near future and the “primary” issue of Kashmir will be resolved amicably.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark Pakistan Day at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Thursday, Pakistan’s top envoy in India, Abdul Basit, said Pakistan has always tried to maintain cordial relations with all of its neighbours, including India.

“We hope that our relations will improve,” he said, expressing optimism that roadblocks in Indo-Pak ties will be eliminated.

“We will resolve all of our issues peacefully, especially the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the primary issue for Pakistan-India [ties]… we will resolve it according to the will of the Kashmiri people.”

The high commissioner said Pakistan is certain that the freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people will eventually succeed.

“History is witness [to the fact] that freedom movements can be suppressed temporarily but they cannot be quashed permanently,” he said.

On the occasion of Pakistan’s Republic Day, he said March 23 required its citizens to affirm their pledge to not hesitate in giving any sacrifice for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Basit said last week that apart from terrorism, other issues like Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek had also impacted Pakistan’s ties with India. These are the core issues required to be dealt with simultaneously, he had said at the time.